Are you 'responsible', 'creative' and 'strategic'? Then you've probably got a Linkedin profile: Website reveals top ten hackneyed words

‘Responsible’, ‘creative’ and ‘strategic’ are just some of Linkedin’s most overused words in users’ profiles – adjectives that the professional networking site says no longer carry any weight to prospective employers.

Culling from a list of words used by its 259million members worldwide, Linkedin discovered that ‘expert’ and ‘driven’ are also among its most popular -- and most nebulous -- words.

The annual list’s top buzzword, ‘responsible’ was used almost twice as much as its number two spot, ‘strategic.’

Responsible: Linkedin's list of overused buzzwords in 2013 is topped by 'responsible', which takes over the lead spot from previous favorite, 'creative'

‘Responsible’ actually overtook the word ‘creative’ this year – which previously topped the list for two consecutive years.

Only
four words from Linkedin’s 2012 list of overused words (creative,
responsible, effective, and analytical) appear on the site’s list for
2013.

Buzzwords including experimental, motivated, multinational, and specialized have dropped off the list altogether.

That shift could be owed to Linkedin’s advice for users to eliminate these annual overused words from their profiles.

Changing trends: Only four buzzwords from last year's list made a return in 2013

The
social media site, which is used as a professional tool for networking,
job search, and recruitment, often provides employers with a first
impression of what someone’s work ethics are all about.

For
that reason, the site cautions: ‘Your LinkedIn profile is your
professional brand, so make it count. Demonstrate your skills and
experience by providing examples of your talent rather than using
buzzwords.’

They advise that
‘instead of using weightless words,’ users should ‘like your skills to
specific results that demonstrate your competence.’

In
the case of the word ‘responsible’ Linkedin says that ‘rather than
saying you are responsible for something, demonstrate how that
responsibility delivered results.’

International spread: When broken down by nation, many buzzwords were country-specific

Linkedin also broke down users’ buzzwords by country and found that ‘sustainable’ is a popular only in the Netherlands.

Similarly, ‘enthusiastic’ is only popular in Great Britain, while ‘passionate’ is exclusive to Australia and New Zealand.

The
U.S. – which accounts for 50per cent of Linkedin’s usership – is the
only nation with ‘patient’ in its list of top ten buzzwords.